Govt trying to bring back YouTube, says education minister
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ISLAMABAD: The government is “keen” to make YouTube available to the people, State Minister for Education Baleeghur Rehman said on Tuesday.
Acknowledging that a large repository of educational materials are available on the popular video-sharing website, which has been inaccessible in Pakistan since September 2012, the minister said that the government was serious in trying to restore access to the website.
The minister was addressing a townhall session on Media Information Literacy, organised by media development organisation Agahi, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
The minister said that the government was trying to work out a way to filter objectionable content from the website so that it could be used as a tool to promote education and learning in the country.
When asked why Pakistan did not have one uniform system of education at the primary, secondary or higher secondary level, the minister conceded that there were special interests at play within the education industry.
He said that private education had become a profit-making enterprise in the country, but was quick to add that this had also happened around the world, in the US for example.
A uniform standard of education was not possible in the post-18th amendment scenario, because there was a “disconnect” between the provinces, he said.
He added that the newly-constituted National Curriculum Council was trying to develop minimum standards of education, which could be applied uniformly to public and private schools, as well as madressahs.
Published in Dawn March 25th , 2015
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Comments (45) Closed
Mar 25, 2015 09:26am
Why does every comment by our leaders conclude with "the US for example"? Can we create our own identity and not justify our weaknesses by using the example of other countries?
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Mar 25, 2015 09:38am
why are we not bringing it back !!
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Mar 25, 2015 09:39am
Yes please! Try harder!
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Mar 25, 2015 09:48am
Now the government should keep its Youtube with it. We have enough alternate routes.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:12am
WOW! In Pakistan youtube is considered more dangerous than cigarettes, drugs, alcohol etc. Excellent way of having priorities in order.
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Mar 25, 2015 10:41am
Honourable minister has said this, I think, five hundredth time?
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Mar 25, 2015 11:11am
It is fallacy of the government of Pakistan to think that Youtube could cause harm to the nation.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:13am
Never ever try to block youtube again, that what I wanted to say.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:16am
Apparently not 'keen' enough!
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Mar 25, 2015 11:25am
There are a lot of pronographic sites on the internet and for the most part the blocking mechanism seems to be working fine. Youtube isn't one of those sites, there are hardly any clips on it, that would in the catagory of pronography. Please open this great training and information resource for all Pakistanis.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:33am
I hope it happens soon...
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Mar 25, 2015 11:34am
It will be good. Pakistani people will know the reality.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:39am
I don't get why we are so much involved in filtering out objectionable content. Just request Youtube to ban the video from being accessible from Pakistan just like Turkey and other Muslim countries did. Restricting access to specific Youtube videos based on geographics is found in common on Youtube.
Its just a lame excuse as Youtube has been blocked to feed Govt's ulterior motives.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:39am
Dear Responsible.
I am very happy to see this news. Yes I agree that there are many contents which need to be blocked from you tube however there are many educational, motivational, entertainment material on you tube which is should be exposed and made available for Pakistani youth in order to keep their pace with rest of the world. Every thing comes with positive and negative. But please deploy content filtering solutions and allow Pakistani youth to use you tube.
Regards,
Maverick
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Mar 25, 2015 11:46am
very shameful! youtube is continuously refusing to remove the blasphemous film. I don't no why our govt and some people are eager to bring back youtube. Youtube should remain banned as long as they don't remove that film and apologize.
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Mar 25, 2015 11:47am
There is no way one can "filter" or "control" the internet. You either have it (all) or you leave it completely. Like the name says, it is inter-net. One has to accept that it brings good and bad, blessing and curse, and parents, teachers and governments should find ways to educate their children how to use it wisely and responsibly. Like with everything in life.
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Mar 25, 2015 12:03pm
@PakPower Yes free VPN :)
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Mar 25, 2015 12:13pm
All drama. They are not going to unblock it.
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Mar 25, 2015 12:27pm
Simply Stupid!!
Like changing the car, if the tire is punctured!!!
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Mar 25, 2015 12:38pm
And who will prosecute the govt for blocking the access of millions of students to this large repository of educational material. Minister sb if we can't learn to ignore the objectionable material, we will found almost everything objectionable on internet. Thanks to Nau-Ratans of Sharif family !
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Mar 25, 2015 12:48pm
Govt fears that Youtube will be used as a tool against them like some people used Facebook as a propaganda platform keeping them away from bringing it back to the people.
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Mar 25, 2015 12:55pm
its just ministerial mantra, which may not come true in near future.
Relax folks.
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Mar 25, 2015 01:17pm
is it really a news? Education minister making announcement about another ministry, and that other ministry perhaps making announcement about yer another ministry. The ministers in first place do not know their portfolio, what else to expect from them......
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Mar 25, 2015 01:18pm
Filtering the YouTube.?
Has human race is not mature enough that can decide which should be watched or not..every human is not same ...All have their own interests.
To see the the true nature of something it is necessary to watch the both good and bad sides about that..then only one can decide whether it is good or bad for ownself.so dont filter it see it as it is served and then leave the rest on one..
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Mar 25, 2015 01:42pm
Ha, Ha...Baleeguhar Rehaman...who ?
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Mar 25, 2015 01:46pm
@Maverick Google should accept our demand else ban parent company or is it an effort by Indians in that company to prevent Pak youth from free educational material. If its allowed please ask ISP to allow free access
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Mar 25, 2015 02:06pm
@Noor
Well said.
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Mar 25, 2015 02:11pm
i have been watching you tube for some time now. its working perfectly fine
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Mar 25, 2015 02:13pm
Related news from India:
Indian Supreme court has struck down Section 66A of IT Act which was meant for curbing freedom of speech in Social Media. The petitioner is just a 24 years old lady.
This is what we call as functioning democracy. What a stark contrast between these two countries !!
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Mar 25, 2015 02:28pm
Question to the minister: what is "objectionable"? Whose definition will he follow? I guess his own.......
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Mar 25, 2015 03:05pm
this is all just a drama. what i think Pakistan dont have the infrastructure to support enormous amount of bandwidth required by Youtube users. :S to control the youtube you just need to make an application which pre-filter previous links and give access to people to submit their own links to report prohibited links. blocking youtube in Pakistan means we are limiting people knowledge.
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Mar 25, 2015 03:13pm
Ask SaudiArabia maybe? shouldn't be a rocket science to filter objectionable content!
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Mar 25, 2015 03:38pm
Even Afghanistan,Saudi Arabia the entire Muslim world has lift ban from YouTube years ago but Pakistan is still backward.
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Mar 25, 2015 03:53pm
Oh just be quiet. We all know now how to use proxies, VPNs.
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Mar 25, 2015 04:01pm
Question is what are you afraid of ?
Are you afraid the truth might come out?
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Mar 25, 2015 04:12pm
It's not education if you have to filter out what you call objectionable.
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Mar 25, 2015 04:28pm
YouTube is available in all the Islamic Countries including but not limited to the Gulf States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Why is it that we need to ban the site. Surely we can import the systems used in the Arab Nations to block unwanted & obnoxious content.
The government needs to look into their ways of doing things rather than simply blocking everything.
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Mar 25, 2015 04:59pm
What? Youtube is banned in Pakistan ??? That's the reason dailymotion is popular is Pakistan.
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Mar 25, 2015 05:18pm
Very unlikely in the near future. If this is true the PM will come live on TV and announce the left of ban as "good news" for the nation.
Please unblock it as soon as possible. We are least bothered by technical difficulties you face...This is our RIGHT and don't take any credits for it.
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Mar 25, 2015 05:42pm
please don't.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:25pm
2050 - Government still "trying to filter objectionable material" from Youtube.
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Mar 25, 2015 06:41pm
Its high time Pakistan stop joining the ranks of China and start allowing things like Youtube in. Its a complete waste of energy to try and ban things like that. Anyone technically inclined can get around such bans. If something is offensive to someone, they have the right to not see it, not participate in commenting on it or sue the company to take the video down for decency reasons. That would be a good precedent than to try and ban a whole channel
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Mar 25, 2015 08:44pm
Oh! Are you serious Mr. Minister ? This is the thousandth time you are saying this. Its not a big deal to reopen it. There is alot of educational content on the website which I personally visit daily for lectures to understand things better. I'd like to suggest you, either raise education's standard or unblock YouTube so that public may gain handsome information. Thank you
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Mar 26, 2015 02:28am
Why not just ban the banners and leave the people alone?
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Mar 26, 2015 02:42am
u dont have to. i already have access to youtube :)
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